"Motorcycling" 1911
All motorcycling roads led to Brooklands last Saturday, where the champions of England and America were to meet in a series of three matches, over distances of two, five and ten laps. As 3 o'clock drew near, the excitement became intense, and when the two great rivals appeared a crowd at once collected round each man, who, waiting with their machines, received the good wishes for success from their friends.
Jake de Rosier said that, though he was not confident of winning, he was going to do his best. He was very pleased with the way his Indian was running. His back tyre was a new Blue Streak, with a six ply tread, the front one having only four plies. He put this new cover on as the one he had been using the previous week was slightly worn. Except for this change, de Rosier assured us that his machine was in exactly the same condition as when he broke three world records the previous Saturday.
The engine is fitted with auxiliary exhaust ports drilled in the cylinder, and the exhaust pipes are only 3 inches long, and discharge straight into the open air. A present to him of a pair of knee grips was secured to the tank, and this is a wrinkle he has picked up over here. He finds them most comfortable, and they give him a greater sense of security. He has discarded his narrow handlebars in favour of a wider pair, as the narrow ones are difficult to steer with on a bumpy track like Brooklands. Jake says his back wheel is thrown so high off the ground that it spins around in mid-air, and distance is lost accordingly. He used Pratt's petrol and Wakefield oil.
Charles Collier had a beautiful spick-and-span Matchless. There were no auxiliary exhausts, but the long exhaust pipes had the shells of silencers on them. An Amac carburettor fed Pratt's spirit to the engine, and Hutchinson tyres were shod to the wheels. The Matchless spring fork was used, and Vacuum oil lubricated the engine bearings.
But the race! It is impossible to do it justice, so magnificent a spectacle did these two giants, battling out the greatest motorcycle warfare ever seen, present. At the start, Harry Collier wheeled his brother's machine down to the far end by the bridge over the Wey, and Garret did the like with the Indian, while the two rivals walked down together, chatting to one another. The starter's car was also there, and presently it was seen that all three were coming nearer; faster and faster they went until, when the two competitors were dead in line, down went the red flag in the car, and the race was begun. They crossed the line together, with "C.R." perhaps a shade ahead.
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